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Thursday, September 12, 2013

Andreas Smaaland (b.1972) is an Norwegian photographer

Cloaked
in a shroud of mystery, speckled with a dash of charm and wit,
Andreas Smaaland (1972, Norway) is an upcoming force to be reckoned
with in Norwegian photographic circles. A relative newcomer to the
profession, it took sudden unemployment, and a series of
coincidences, to lead him to purchase a camera, hit the streets, and
begin shooting.

Starting
out on his photographic journey in 2008, he was already acclaimed
just two years later at a local Oslo exhibition for debutant
photographers, capturing the attention of the jury with his mainly
black and white un-enhanced portrayal of life on the streets. The
jury found Andreas' work to have an impressive visual understanding,
giving the viewer an immediate perspective of time and place, rather
than using photography as a means to tell a story. It is this
aspect that separates the street photographer from the documentary
maker. Remarkably, Andreas, so early in his newfound profession, has
the ability of describing life and its restless unpredictability, as
brilliantly as he does.

« you
heard about me, you just didn't know it was me » - Andreas
Smaaland